Cyber security is a crucial challenge that the shipping industry is facing today, which can lead to disruption of a port. Either way, the port sector has to deal with the rapid development of the digitalization and the dangers it comes with, to accomplish efficient and fruitful operations, given that any disruption will affect the stakeholders in the industry.
In its December issue of Be Cyber Aware at Sea, Phish and Ship discuss the term of “information assurance” which is connected to cyber security measures, used to protect the information systems, as the computer systems and the networks.
Vessel and facility operators use computers and cyber dependent technologies for navigation, communications, engineering, cargo, ballast, safety, environmental control, and for many other purposes. Emergency systems such as security monitoring, fire detection, and alarms increasingly rely on cyber technology and may be affected by attacks.
Korean Register (KR), Classification Society and Hyundai LNG Shipping (HLS) inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to proceed a joint research on the application, verification and development of guidance for maritime cyber security systems.
The Korean Register explains the goal of type approval of maritime cyber security, further specifies which are the security requirements needed and their levels, while also highlights the importance of cryptography in safely storing crucial data.
The Korean Register is focusing on cyber security issues that affect the shipping industry, discussing the matter of insufficient logging and monitoring, which may affect the operation of the vessel’s systems, and proposing the development of an automated process that will alert the user of a suspicious action.
Norwegian government’s innovation fund will provide two years’ funding to new project for the development of a cyber-risk management system for ships, initiated by Japanese shipping company NYK and maritime IT innovator Dualog. The funding will enable NYK to carry out cyber security trials on 50 NYK-operated vessels.
International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) announced that it will use a new technology for its business units in Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas to protect thousands of end-points across its network. ICTSI will collaborate with BlackBerry Limited to use its BlackBerry Cylance technology.
As Reuters reports, the Mexican national oil company Pemex detected a hack in its operations on Sunday, November 10, that forced the company to suspend its operations, shutting down computers across Mexico and freezing systems such as payments. Still, the company refuses to pay the ransom demanded by the hackers.
Today, over 87% of merchant vessels are carrying GNSS receivers, usually feeding into an ECDIS for establishing position, speed and heading. If GNSS-based position information is unavailable, it leads to other systems such as AIS becoming unavailable.
